Chapter 56

[Skill [Aether Spiral] has been learned.]

[Split Focus] went up by one as well, but [Aether Spiral] was clearly the biggest gain. It took a while to form, but now that the Ancestors accepted Hakon’s efforts as worthy, it was ever-present, refilling his mana swiftly.

Using the Skill helped him form and maintain a swirl – or a spiral or maelstrom, considering it was nowhere near as feeble as a ‘swirl’–within his Core, which helped him absorb and draw in mana swiftly. Doing so did not cost any mana either, which had been the case with [Circulation]; however, the mental power needed was rather taxing.

Enhanced Comprehension helped him a lot in the creation of a Skill with a fairly simple goal: to keep it activated at all times. But while that was the final goal, Hakon didn’t think it would come easily. He maintained the Skill and felt the ambient mana flow toward him, seeping into his pores after being attracted by the rippling pathways. Mana trickled slowly into him, though the effectiveness was nowhere near the level he wanted.

But as slowly as mana entered his Core, being able to recover mana while on the move, potentially even mid-combat once using the Skill became second nature to him, was promising.

“I got it.” Hakon exhaled deeply.

Ava was on her feet and staring at him. “You are not talking about [Mana Meditation], are you? What did you get?”

He didn’t respond to her question. Instead, satisfied with her help, Hakon said, “I will talk to my father about your freedom.”

That said, he left in search of his father. Curiously enough, his father was at the hut, devouring what appeared to be half a grilled Terror Deer. He motioned to the servants, who left in a hurry to return with the other half.

“Sit.” The chieftain only said, but Hakon stayed where he was. His stomach growled in defiance; however, it was better to stay on his feet for this conversation, in case his father planned to punch or punish him.

He grimaced at that thought but informed his father about his actions and the promise he made to Ava nonetheless. The chieftain looked up from his plate with that particularly displeased look, which nearly made Hakon wince. Yet, against his expectations, the chieftain nodded slowly.

“She can have her freedom.” He waved dismissively, like he didn’t care, but the look in his eyes told otherwise. Understandable, considering that his son had just deprived him of his spoils of war. They were part of his Saga, meaning that Hakon had ripped out a portion of the chieftain’s Saga. Granted, it was only a tiny, very insignificant portion, but that didn’t really matter to Barbarians. They did not particularly like anyone or anything that harmed their Saga.

“Are you sure?” Hakon couldn’t help but ask.

“If she helped you grow stronger, losing her is acceptable. For you are my blood.” The chieftain shrugged, seemingly not minding. And he probably didn’t because Ava would die. The moment she regained freedom, hopefully after helping Hakon, she would try to flee. But somone as frail as Ava wouldn’t make it through the forest. Its monsters would tear her apart.

Maybe she’ll stay a little longer. Hakon mused to himself before rooting himself once more.

Being the son of the chieftain, he too was part of his father’s Saga. The stronger he was, the more heavily his Saga weighed on his father’s. That, if nothing else, was more than enough reason for the chieftain to forfeit his claim of Ava.

“If she leaves, I will not hunt her. The others, I will hunt if they try to leave. But if she does not leave, she has to abide by the laws of the Ancestors and become part of the tribe. As much as such pathetic creatures can be part of the tribe.” The chieftain grunted. “She will be your responsibility. Whether she does good or bad, her actions will be yours.”

As annoying as that could turn out to be, it was more than fair.

“You did not leave the hut,” the chieftain remarked. “When are you leaving?”

Hakon smiled grimly. His father was still not all that talkative – had never been – but their conversations were more pleasant now, and that felt good. Really good. “When everyone has recovered.”

That earned him a raised eyebrow.

“Tomorrow, when the sun rises,” he said before sitting down to eat with his father. No more words were exchanged, and once Hakon was done, he stepped back outside to tell Ava about his father’s decision. She bawled her eyes out, which was confusing to see. There was no reason to cry in such a situation, was there? Unwilling to be part of this pitiable scene, he stepped out of the hut and headed toward the training ground.

Alas, before he even came close to the training ground, Teraq noticed him and approached.

“Hakon!” The towering Barbarian shouted, his massive paws crashing down on Hakon’s shoulders. “We want to hunt! When are we hunting? Everyone is excited!”

“Everyone is excited to go out and hunt again?” That was as good as it could be. “We will leave tomorrow at dawn. You can tell the others to prepare for a very long hunt. Nights of hunting.”

That only seemed to excite Teraq more. A brilliant smile bloomed on his face, and he was about to leave to tell the young warriors when something came to mind.

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“You know about Astrid, Hakon?” he asked, turning back to look right at him. “Many like her. She is beautiful. Powerful. Thorat, Paru, Ragon proposed the bond.” Something in Teraq’s eyes shifted, and he hesitated, but only for a moment before continuing, “I approach her too.”

The words didn’t do anything to Hakon. He accepted them, fully aware of Astrid’s popularity. Even before the Rite, she had been approached by many warriors who proposed the bond with her. Now that she had awakened a legendary Power, she had only grown more popular, as it appeared.

What annoyed Hakon weren’t the words. Instead, it was the conviction and determination burning deep within Teraq’s eyes. The towering Barbarian was deadly serious, and that made Hakon angrier than he thought possible.

“She’s mine.” He growled before realizing what he was even saying. Regardless, he unleashed his bloodlust at full power.